CEDIA Expo 2016 - Day 1

This report is from day 1 (Thursday, Sept. 15th) of CEDIA Expo 2016 trade show. This is the first day the manufacturer's exhibits are open. LG

JVC

JVC today introduced their new flagship projector, the DLA-RS4500. This is a native 4K/UHD projector, with a native 4096 x 2160 resolution, that will sell for $34,995 (MSRP) when in begins shipping in November 2016. The brightness is rated at 3000 lumens using the projector's laser light engine. Newly developed 0.69 inch 4K DILA display chips are being used. JVC demo’ed the projector with native 4K/UHD video on a Stewart ST130 screen that measured 16 ft. wide by 9 ft. high (or perhaps it was actually 220 inches diagonal). The image appeared bright and very solid with lots of visible fine details. This maximum supported color gamut of the DLA-RS4500 extends a little beyond the digital cinema standard DCI-P3 color space and is said to cover 80% of the ultra wide ITU Rec. 2020 color gamut. The 20,000 hour life of the laser + phosphor light source is said to be in full power mode.

Below is a excerpt from the JVC press release for the DLA-RS4500: The new flagship JVC DLA-RS4500 combines a JVC-developed native 4K D-ILA device with the company’s proprietary BLU-Escent™ laser phosphor light source to deliver a brightness level of 3000 lumens and 20,000 hours of operational life. In addition, the new laser light source offers dynamic light source control for the highest native contrast available. To further ensure that the projector delivers bright, high-quality 4K images, it features HDR compatibility, a new high-resolution lens developed specifically for 4K applications, and a new Cinema Filter for a wide color gamut. The main features of the new JVC DLA-RS4500 are:

Native 4096 x 2160 4K D-ILA Device

The new 4K D-ILA device used in the DLA-RS4500 is JVC’s latest and smallest 4K D-ILA device. The 0.69-inch device has a pixel gap of 3.8 ㎛, 31 percent narrower than the gap in earlier devices. Also, by using both vertical orientation technology and planarization technique, scattering and light diffraction have been decreased, which enhances contrast. The result is a smooth, detailed image with no visible pixel structure, even when using large screens. The DLA-RS4500 uses three of these new 4K D-ILA devices, one each for red, green and blue, and delivers 4096 x 2160 resolution.

BLU-Escent Laser Light Source

The light source for the DLA-RS4500 is JVC’s proprietary second generation BLU-Escent laser phosphor light engine, which uses blue laser diodes to offer a brightness level of 3000 lumens and 20,000 hours of operational life. The laser unit employs six banks of eight laser diodes to achieve its high brightness levels, and a stationary emissive phosphor, which reduces mechanical noise and enhances reliability. The high brightness allows the projector to be used with screen sizes over 200 inches and makes the most of HDR to deliver an image with depth and richness.

Dynamic Light Source Control

With its laser light source, the DLA-RS4500 can control laser output dynamically, adjusting output instantly based on the scene to provide bright whites, deep darks and brilliant colors. With its Dynamic Light Source Control, the DLA-RS4500 achieves a contrast ratio of ∞: 1.

Wide Color Gamut

The combination of a laser light source and a new Cinema Filter allow the DLA-RS4500 to achieve a wide color gamut of 100 percent DCI P3 and over 80 percent coverage of BT.2020. This allows subtle gradations, such as of the sky or the sea, to be vividly reproduced.

New High Resolution Lens

Developed in conjunction with the new 4K D-ILA device was a new 18-element, 16-group all-glass lens with full aluminum lens barrel. A new 100mm diameter lens is used for best light efficiency and to project 4K resolution to every corner of the screen. This compares to 65mm diameter designs used in other JVC projectors. The new lens offers an expanded shift range of ±100 percent vertical and ±43 percent horizontal. In addition, by adopting five anomalous dispersion lenses we are able to reduce chromatic aberration and color fringing to deliver precise projection of 4K resolution graphics.

HDR Compatibility

HDR (High Dynamic Range) content offers an extended brightness range, 10-bit gradation and wide BT.2020 color gamut, which place high demands on display devices. With its high contrast ratio, 80 percent BT.2020 coverage, dynamic light source control and high brightness, the DLA-RS4500 gets the most out of HDR images. When the projector detects an HDR signal automatically selects the correct picture mode preset based on HDR10. The DLA-RS4500 also offers Hybrid Log-Gamma, a new HDR standard for broadcasts and streaming services.

New Design

The DLA-RS4500 features an all-new cosmetic design, with a symmetrical cabinet that combines aluminum and matte black paint for a luxurious appearance while also reducing reflections. The center-mounted lens is set off from the black body by a gold alumite ring. For cooling, the rear intake/front exhaust fan adapts to the installation environment to maximize its effectiveness, and it employs a professional level air filter that can withstand severe conditions. Other Features

The DLA-RS4500 is undergoing relentless THX laboratory testing to become the world’s first THX Certified 4K projector (pending Certification).
Two full speed full spec 18Gbps HDMI inputs with HDR and HDCP2.2.
JVC’s Multiple Pixel Control employs a new algorithm optimized for the new 4K device to produce detailed images even when converted from Full HD images.
The DLA-RS4500 features JVC’s original blur reduction technology, Clear Motion Drive, which is compatible with 4K60p (4:4:4), and Motion Enhance, which minimizes motion blur by optimizing the D-ILA driver. These two technologies, working together, result in a smooth and detailed image.
Onboard Screen Modes that optimizes color and performance for different screen materials.
Low Latency Mode, which decreases input lags from the source.
Ten preset installation modes that combine settings for Lens Memory, Pixel Adjust, Screen Mask and other parameters to easily tailor settings to each installation.

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LG

LG is no longer in the home theater projector business, but I stopped by their press event to see their latest OLED flat panel TVs. At CEDIA they are introducing a new flagship 77 inch model under their “Signature OLED” product line. This top-of-the-line model features a flat screen (LG has finally see the light and has gone back to supporting flat, rather then just offering curved screen models). This new model (i.e., OLED77G6P) carries a list price of $19,999 and is a UHD model supporting, HDR (including DolbyVision HDR) along with Wide Color Gamut. While 77 inches is a large flat panel (the largest OLED in fact), it still falls well below the size most dedicated home theater owners are looking for, and that’s why projectors plus screens are still the only realistic option when we are talking about screen sizes of more than 80 inches, or so. I did question LG on their plans for supporting Ultra HD Blu-ray and while acknowledging that is something they expect to support for the future, they are not ready to announce a Ultra HD Blu-ray player at CEDIA (oh well, perhaps at CES in January).

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Sim2

I stopped by the Sim2 booth where they were demo’ing their new Nero 4 projector – the first DLP 4K projector I’ve seen at CEDIA 2016. The projected clip from "The Martian" looked very detailed. This uses a single DLP display chip with a native 4 Mpixel resolution along with pixel shifting to display the 8 Mpixels of a 4K display. The rated brightness was said to be 3500 lumens and the projector uses a 450 watt lamp. Sim2 is a high end projector manufacturer from Italy with a US office in Sunrise, Florida. This projector used for the demos was a engineering model and production units are still a few months away. The retail price will be just under $30,000 when production units begin shipping. _____________________

Sony (follow-up)

Yesterday’s blog (HERE) discussed Sony only new projector model, the VPL-VW675. The other Sony native 4K projectors in their line-up, including the flagship VPL-VW5000ES, the now rather old VPL-VW1100ES and the ‘entry level’ VPL-VW365 are being carried over for another year unchanged. I did confirm with the Sony representatives that the new VPL-VW675 still has HDMI input ports that are limited to 10.2 Gbps maximum data rate, instead of the full bandwidth 18 Gbps version found on some 4K UHD flat panel TVs and certain other brands of 4K-lite (with pixel shifting) projectors. This limitation only impacts support for 4K/UHD video sources that output video at higher than 24Hz or 30Hz, such as those found with some streaming video devices and Ultra HD Blu-ray sources. With this limitation a 50Hz or 60Hz UHD source can only bee supported with a limited to 8-bit depth and 4:2:0 chroma format. This is not an issue for watching movies on Ultra HD discs as these are at 24Hz. _____________________